Director: Vaccinate early for respiratory flu

Last flu season, the respiratory flu slammed Iowans around Thanksgiving and Christmas on the way to its peak in January, then hit again in early March.“They’re thinking if we vaccinate earlier, the flu won’t be so severe, ‘build up immunity early in the season,’” Chickasaw County Public Health Director Kathy Babcock said.When people get the stomach flu after getting their flu shot, there’s a common misconception that the flu shot somehow didn’t work.“People have got to remember it’s the respiratory flu we’re vaccinating against, not the gastrointestinal form,” Babcock said.“Influenza A or B knocks you out cold. You’re out for two weeks,” Babcock said, and that influenza B has already cropped up in-state this season.